Jodie Whittaker was interviewed by Trish Halpin for Marie Claire magazine while in the midst of a nine-month shoot for Doctor Who. She had this to say about her new role:

“I feel like I’ve been handed this amazing world and they’ve let me be like a kid in a toy shop and go off with it. Doctor Who wasn’t something that was on TV in my house when I was growing up, so I thought I’d have to cane it before the first audition and watch every single episode. Thankfully, Chris [Chibnall] said, ‘I don’t want you to. I want you to come in with fresh eyes and bring what you would do in this environment.’”

Whittaker also spoke of her “mercurial” Doctor:

“… with this role, I’m continually running about and jumping and playing, so I bound off into the weekend like a maniac. I’m like, ‘Come on, I’m awake!’ I’m probably an absolute pain in the arse. There’s a weird euphoria and that’s why it’s been so much fun. I’ve never laughed so much in my life, every day. I adore the companions [Bradley Walsh, Mandip Gill and Tosin Cole]. I’m blessed to be given three people I now consider family members to go on this journey with.”

She also spoke of the Doctor’s look:

“There isn’t a sense of, ‘it’s a girl’s costume’ or ‘it’s a boy’s costume’, they’re just clothes. I wanted the costume – the braces, T-shirt, trousers and boots – to serve the energy and personality of my Doctor. I was also like, ‘Cut my hair off, let’s do something mad’, but Chris wanted the hair I auditioned with. All I could think was that it wasn’t very practical and would be in my face all the time.”

Whittaker was careful not to give any spoilers for the upcoming series. When asked if it is true that the “Rosa Parks bus” will make an appearance, she replied:

“All of that is top secret. I don’t think you’re supposed to know about that!”

Jodie Whittaker will make her first appearance as the Doctor when Doctor Who premieres on Sunday, October 7.